Sign in with Facebook"Varenna - Diamond of the Lake" Top 5 Page for this destination Varenna by tpal
Varenna Travel Guide: 45 reviews and 211 photos
It was our third day on Lake Como but it was our first ferry boat ride. Varenna is on the opposite side of the lake from where we were staying in Ossuccio. Taking the ferry was the simplest and most direct way to get there. More importantly, it was definitely the "best way" for us to arrive there for a first view. The ride from Lenno made several stops along the way including Villa Carlotta and Bellagio. Every stop was beautifully unique but Varenna...this was special.
Here the colorful homes were built right to water's edge. There was a steep rock face where nothing could be built and seemed to divide the village. Cleverly a promenade had been built cantilevered over the water. The walkway leads past shops and a few cafes with "you-never-have-to-leave-your-chair" photo opps. Boats were most often merely pulled up on shore and tied off.
Varenna is home to two very elaborate villas and gardens - Villa Cipressi and Villa Monastero. Both are definitely worth a visit. But in my mind, the real allure was exploring the walks and back lanes of the tiny town. I read somewhere that, "If Bellagio is the pearl of Lake Como then Varenna is the diamond". This seemed surely true.
Reviews (3)
Villa Monastero
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(3)
There is no shortage of magnificent villas along the shore of Lake Como and there is also probably ample opportunity to... more travel advice
Villa Cipressi
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(3)
The village of Varenna is worth visiting merely for the joy of enjoying the town and the vistas it offers. If, however,... more travel advice
Romantic Promenade
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(3)
If you have arrived in Varenna by ferry boat, as we did, you will see before you a very pretty town ... but not the best... more travel advice
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Comments (4)
Great description ov Vaarenna! By the way, the CNR is an important institution for all scientific research in Italy.
Lovely little page on Varenna. My friend and I will be in Lago di Como next month and I feel attracted to Varenna, and even more after reading your tips.
Looks like a fantastic place for a boat ride. Does Villa Cipressi mean what it looks like?
Thanks for the beautiful photos of a place that is special for me : my gand-grand father came from Varenna (before going to Strasbourg as an expert in architecture)